Farming Games are All About Grinding-Chapter 3 Fishing Game

At the dock, Han Qiwu sat on a nearby wooden stump, examining the [Copper Knife] in his hands.

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[Bamboo Fishing Rod: Copper Knife]

[Attribute 1: Fishing range +1]

[Attribute 2: Floater length +1]

[Required Level: Fishing Level 2]

[Can Equip Bait]

[Note: A bamboo fishing rod painted bronze]

After reading the long list of attributes for the [Copper Knife], Han Qiwu felt that his [Training Rod] was like a kindergarten toy.

No attributes whatsoever, and it couldn't even equip bait!

Jiang Taigong fishing???

How is this quest even supposed to be completed?

But now, Han Qiwu could only stare enviously. His current fishing level was 0, meaning he couldn't equip it at all.

"Feels like there's a trap in this quest too. No clue how hard it is to level up fishing in this game. Will a week be enough to reach level 2? Let's do this—try it out for the next two days, see how long it takes to hit level 1, and adjust the time plan after that." While thinking this, Han Qiwu picked up his [Training Rod] and began casting.

Back in college, Han Qiwu had gone river fishing and sea fishing with some classmates. Of course, regardless of the type, the outcome was always the same—no fish caught, but sunburn was a given.

"Zzzz zzzz zzzz"

Just as Han Qiwu was about to cast the rod, a progress bar appeared in his view, rapidly increasing and decreasing, with a thumbs-up icon at the top.

"So even fishing has turned into a game now?" Han Qiwu's eyes lit up. He timed it perfectly and cast the rod when the progress bar reached the thumbs-up.

[BINGO]

With a crisp snapping sound, the hook flew in a graceful arc before... landing one meter in front of Han Qiwu's feet.

Han Qiwu: "......"

Brother Jing, spying from a distance: "... The posture looks alright, but the result? A total amateur!"

"System, why can I only cast the hook this close?"

"The fishing range is affected by the player's fishing level and the rod's quality."

Han Qiwu understood now. So the best outcome with this toy-level rod was... this?

Fine then.

Staring at the hook already submerged in the water, Han Qiwu began contemplating life... oh wait, no, contemplating the system.

"Blub blub"

The sound of bubbles came from the sea's surface. Han Qiwu thought for a moment and dragged the rod toward the bubbling area.

[Ding]

A crisp notification rang out.

Han Qiwu felt a spark of joy. Could he catch a fish without bait? Seemed like the difficulty wasn't too bad.

Before he could celebrate, a mini-game interface popped up in his view.

[Fishing Game Beginner's Tip]

After quickly skimming through the beginner's tips, Han Qiwu understood the general rules of the game:

There was a rectangular game interface with a green floater—a movable rectangular area. By charging and releasing power with your mind, you could control the floater going up and down. However, the floater had some innate weight, requiring consistent charging to rise, while descending was alarmingly fast.

Inside the game interface was also a constantly moving fish icon. The goal was to overlap the floater with the fish's icon. When you succeeded, the timer progress bar on the right started filling up. If the fish left the floater's range, the timer bar would significantly deplete.

Once the bar was maxed, the fish was successfully caught. If the bar depleted entirely, you failed.

A general diagram looked like this:

█████

█浮浮█

█漂漂█

█水水█

█水水█

█水水█

█♓鱼█

█████

Following the rules, Han Qiwu began trying to control the floater. But this floater? It was like that suicidal little bird from Flappy Bird—infuriatingly hard to control. On top of that, the fish was annoyingly agile, darting up and down as if it were a gymnast.

After three minutes of attempts, the game interface suddenly vanished.

"What a shame, the fish got away."

[Stamina -2]

Sweating profusely, Han Qiwu: "????"

Got away, huh????

I detected *no* regret in your tone, by the way.

Forget it, no use getting mad at an unintelligent system.

Regaining his confidence, Han Qiwu cast the hook once more.

Three hours later.

"Brother Jing, can you spare me a sip of water?" Hoarse from thirst, Han Qiwu ran to the entrance of the fishing house to beg for a drink.

Brother Jing passed him an enamel mug from the table. "Three hours, and still nothing?"

Han Qiwu downed the mug in one go, then wiped his mouth.

"Of course not. I've gained plenty!"

Brother Jing looked at Han Qiwu's empty hands and then glanced at the lonely fishing rod on the dock.

No fish.

Seeing Brother Jing's puzzlement, Han Qiwu smiled. "What I've gained is experience! If nothing unexpected happens, I'll probably be fishing here for a long while. First, I'll figure out the fish's temperament. Once I get a handle on that, it'll be much easier to catch them in the future."

After hearing this, Brother Jing felt a surge of satisfaction. Nowadays, young fishers were all impatient, dreaming of pulling in a net full of money in one go. There were far too few who were willing to methodically study fish like Han Qiwu.

This kid's a diamond in the rough!

Han Qiwu had no idea that his words had left such a favorable impression on Brother Jing.

He was just telling the truth! In those three hours, he'd seen the icons of at least a dozen different fish appear in the fishing bar. Each fish had a unique movement pattern, and every fishing attempt taught him something new.

Once he understood the patterns, how could he not catch fish?

Games were a lot like chasing girls—patience was key. Observe their behavior, and strike when the moment is right!

Of course, if it doesn't work out... just find another girl.

No need to make life hard for yourself, right?

"You keep at it. I've got errands to run. There's water outside in the barrel; help yourself if you need more." Brother Jing grabbed a jacket, then stopped mid-step as if recalling something. "Oh, sometimes the nearby beach washes up some fish. You can check it out later."

"Thanks, Brother Jing." Han Qiwu grinned and waved.

Back at the dock, Han Qiwu glanced at the time: 16:13.

"I'll fish until 5:30, then wander over to the beach, grab some food, and explore other areas tonight." With his plan set, Han Qiwu began a new round of fishing attempts.

One hour later.

The sound of the sea: "Splash splash"

Seagulls: "Caw~~ caw~~~"

Han Qiwu's stomach: "Blurp blurp"

Over the past hour, Han Qiwu had roughly figured out the behavior of the first type of fish he hooked.

Since its icon was a pale yellow fish, Han Qiwu nicknamed it "Little Yellow Fish."

"Come on, give me a Little Yellow Fish! Let's see who's the true King of the Sea!" Muttering to himself despite his hunger, Han Qiwu carried on fishing. After an afternoon's effort, and thanks to the [Diligent Farmer] achievement, his stamina was down to just 16 points.

[Ding!]

In the familiar game interface, the icon of the Little Yellow Fish appeared again!

Han Qiwu took a deep breath and, based on his observations, began predicting its moves in advance.

"Rise for one second, drop for three seconds, dive for two seconds, pause for 0.5 seconds, drop again then rise for 1.3 seconds..." Han Qiwu's eyes widened with focus. He ignored the timer bar entirely, ensuring the fishing bar stayed perfectly aligned with the fish's icon!

[Splash! (Sound of a fish tail hitting water) Congratulations! You've successfully caught your first fish!]

[Congratulations! You've unlocked a new achievement!]